Report: Car, truck crashes cost whopping $871B

By JOAN LOWY |
Associated PressPublished: May 30, 2014 4:00AM

WASHINGTON -- The economic and societal harm from motor vehicle crashes amounted to a whopping $871 billion in a single year, according to a study released Thursday by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The study examined the economic toll of car and truck crashes in 2010, when 32,999 people were killed, 3.9 million injured and 24 million vehicles damaged. Those deaths and injuries were similar to other recent years.

Of the total price tag, $277 billion was attributed to economic costs -- nearly $900 for every person living in the U.S. that year. Harm from loss of life, pain and decreased quality of life due to injuries was pegged at $594 billion.

The safety agency produces such calculations about once a decade.

The economic cost was the equivalent of nearly 2 percent of the U.S. gross domestic product in 2010. Factors contributing to the toll include productivity losses, property damage, and cost of medical and rehabilitation treatment, congestion, legal and court fees, emergency services and insurance administration and costs to employers. Overall, nearly three-quarters of these costs are paid through taxes, insurance premiums and congestion-related costs such as travel delay, excess fuel consumption and increased environmental impacts.

"While the economic and societal costs of crashes are staggering, today's report clearly demonstrates that investments in safety are worth every penny used to reduce frequency and severity of these tragic events," Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said in a statement.

The study cites several behavioral factors that contributed to the enormous price tag created by motor vehicle crashes:

David Friedman, NHTSA's administrator, said the report underscores the importance of the safety agency's effort to improve auto safety and reduce accidents through programs that discourage unsafe behavior like drunken driven, distracted driving and not wearing seat belts.